Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-12-30
HERR PAULUS,
HIS RISE, HIS GREATNESS AND HIS
FALL.
By Walter Besant, Author of "A1l Sorts
and Conditions of Men, etc, etc.
BOOK THE SECOND.
CHAPTER XIII.-SLUDGE.

Paul called the first cab he passed. and
fastened to get away as fast as possible
from place where this disgusting plain
ness of speech was possible. But he ar
rived at Beaumont street with looks still
purturbed and a soul still agtated. To be
called Liar and Deceiyer, and to have
no words of reply-not even kick or a
cuff-naturally causes hurricane of rage
and shame
What is the matter, boy ?" asked his
friend.
Nothing. Well-something incidental
to the Profession, suppose"
Eyes. AS for example,
1.-THE charge commonly made against
those who deal with supernatural forces.
And l had no reply"
mo reply, Paul." the old man looked
up sadly. NO reply? And after all these
years ?"
None ready. Oh, | know what l ought
to have said. had no reply ready for my
enemy, because | could think of none for
myself"
The old prejudices again, Paul /?
Strange l thought they had been long
since removed"
"Old prejudices never die. They seem
to be dead, and then at touch they awake
again. began listening to sermon-I
was thinking only of the present What
was it A touch, word, and the years
rolled back. | was in the old village chap
ell listening to the old preacher. | fell
back into the old grooves about sin and
wrong and falsehOOd and truth, Won
know. Before / got back to the practical
grooves the man who was preaching turned
upon me and used words concerning the
Professionalism were like a stick npon
my back. | could find no reply, and sluuk
away, like beaten man. That's all
"Why, Paul, | thought you were harder.
Have all these years-seven years of ap-
prenticesh p-done nothing for you This
it Is to have an imagination as well as the
magnetic gift. | should have thought
that you had the reply always ready in
your own mind AS for myself, | have
that reply always ready, and 1t makes me
perfectly easy. Why, let us confess it, my
whole life has been spent in trading on
mems credulity. My present competency
has been acquired by the profession, which,
above all others, demands credullty. Your
travels, your manners, your developed
powers, are also the result of my success.
You are my professional son. Without
me and my success you would have had
to return to the paternal store, Therefore
we ought both of us to be always ready
with our reply-irst to the enemy and
next to ourselves, in order to keep a calm
conscience and to be able to entertain the
same gratitude to Providence for our sue
cess which men of other professions cult
vate."
"Well ?" said Paul, smile lighting up
his gloomy bro as Il ray of SUNSHINE
across black and surging sea.
Paul" continued the Veteran, there
is not among the whole tribe of mediums,
clairvoyants, oracles and prophets, a sin
gle man who does not put the Quest ton to
a,,lN- / b
conscience Not a man but seeks for an
answer which shall justify himself. We
must find that answer in self defence, be-
cause we know very well the things that
are said of us. ] know not what answer
other practitioners find, but the answer
which have found for myself satisfies me
completely. and it ought to satisfy you.
| have lived and grown rich by trading on
mems credulity. Let us admit SO much.
Men think control the spirits. For aught
l know there are not any spirits to be con
trolled. Yet | keep up the pretence. Am
l then torn by remorse in my old age Not
a bit. And why? Because, Paul, in ev
cry trade and in every profession there
must be deception. Without deception
no trade, no profession could be carried
on. Does the shopkeeper sell what he pre-
tends? Never; there is adulteraton ev-
erywhere. Things of no value are blended
with things valuable ; the polished wood
is veneer, the silver is plate, the sardnes
are sprats, the very ruDies and emeralds
are worthless stones polished up. Lies
everywhere. Does the merchant content
himself with fair profiU2 Not if he can
get an unfair profit. Does he pay the pro-
Queer what he ought? Never. He sweas
him whenever he can. Into my trade,
which is that of Prophet and Oracle, and
very difficult trade it il, requiring the
possession of the rarest faculties. which
ought to be paid for at the highest rate,
| brought swift and keen intellect, kept
polished and sharp by continual training
and constant watching. | had TO be learn
ing and storing away in my memory every
kind of fact which bears upon the conduct
of life. | had to learn all the various
ways which men live. More than that,
had to learn the hearts of women and
what they most desire. Boy, until
taught you what l myself had learned,
there was no anatomist who knew so
much about the body as knew about the
soul, and l taught you, Paul. You are
wise, but you are young"
"Yes-Daddy, yes" Paul took his
hand with an almost feminine caress-"I
owe everything to you"
81 had to keep in training. For this pur-
pose, had to forego all the joys of life.
For me there was no love- because love,
more than anything else, destroys the pow
ers which our work demands. He whose
mind is filled with the thought of one wo-
man cannot keep his power over all women.
There was no feasting in joyful assemblies
where men forget their own. thoughts and
submit to the influence of a crowd. | had
no holidays because | could never relax.
But had my reward. | could read the
thoughts of those who came to see me
and | could reveal the future as soon as
they had told me the past. You know,
Paul-you know that there was no Pro
phet-no Oracle equal to myself
mo You were alone.o
"My intellect so far outstripped the
sluggish brain of the multitude, that it
seemed to them due to supernatural help.
l accepted that explanation. | even ad-
yanced it. If had told the foolish people
that there were no spirits except in their
fancy, they would have deserted me. |
had the gift of understanding things in a
tenth part of the time that they required.
l called it-or they called tive botn
called it-Clairvoyance-Advice of the
spirits-anything The people exaggerat-
ed my cleverness, and | traded on their
stupidity. / made use of their stupidity.